Sunday, March 3, 2013

Weekend Worship—Damage Control

No discipline seems
enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of
peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

We are in the middle of some
minor renovations at our house. It didn’t start because I just wanted to update
a room. It began because of a small problem. We had a small leak in one of the
pipes behind our commode. It was so small it seemed more of an irritation
rather than an actual problem.

Wrong.

By the time we got around to
dealing with it, the damage was extensive. Fortunately our son works in
construction, and he was able to do the work for us. But it meant he had to cut
out several large sections of sheet rock and replace it.

Other than the time, as well
as the money, there was also the mess and general disruption to our lives.

First, he had to get to the
damage and that meant emptying the room. Then he had to cut out the damage, and
replace the parts that were ruined. Finally, he had to spend a LOT of time
sanding to get the old and new to fit back together. I had no idea sanding
could cause so much dust and mess.

As I watched him fix the
mess we’d made by ignoring a small leak, I couldn’t help but draw the parallel
between that and our spiritual lives.

So often we tend to ignore
small sins or habits that creep into our lives. They don’t seem to be bothering
anyone or causing any damage, so we just let them go. And by the time we
realize the damage, we have a big mess on our hands. A mess that’s too big to
handle alone.

Jesus has the authority and the ability to repair our lives...no matter the mess we've made.

Going to Jesus for help is a
lot like going to our son. Jesus loves us and stands ready to help. And just
like our son, He has the ability and authority to get us back in shape.

But helping us repair the
damage from even a small sin isn’t just a matter of snapping His fingers like
some magician. His fixes are much more permanent, and they take some time. He
has to rebuild what we’ve destroyed, and make us new again. Truthfully, the
process can often feel disruptive and uncomfortable, even when we’re happy
about the results.

The repair process also affects
those around us, similar to the repairs to our bathroom. Just like the dust
from sanding seems to seep into every crack and crevice, so the effects of our
sins settle on those closest to us.

This process has made me
rethink several things I’ve allowed in my life lately, and I’m deciding to take
care of the problem now. How about you, care to join me in a little damage
control?

Well said, Edie. Solomon agrees that "the little foxes spoil the grapes." Thanks for the reminder of how much simpler it would have been to deal with "small" issues so they don't become major destructive forces in our lives (and our bathrooms :).